Middle Echo Canyon With The Family--Aug. 17, 2012

That 6am wake up call came way too early, but we knew we had a day full of fun and adventure ahead of us. We packed our (still damp) stuff, had some continental breakfast, and back to Zion we went. Short line at the gate, plenty of parking spots at the visitor center--we learned our lesson from the day before by getting there early. It was funny to see how excited the boys were for to the shuttle bus ride--:haha:, they are so deprived. So after dragging them off the shuttle bus at the Weeping Rock TH, we put our packs on and away we went.



After a long series of switchbacks, the trail became less steep as it followed Lower Echo for a ways.


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I would like to know how they got all the concrete up there to pave the trail? Must have been a lot of work.


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Beautiful hike in the morning sun.


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It was about this point that I realized that I'd remembered everything except the beta :facepalm1:. Not a good thing for most canyons, but I had studied it a lot and had a good idea of the layout of the canyon from the Bing image.

After a while of looking for the midpoint entry, we finally found it and made it to the bottom of the canyon to relax for a moment in the cool shade. Time to suit up and get ready for the first rappel.


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One thing I noticed about Echo, most raps seem to have awkward starts. This first one I tandem rapped with Trevor and it was not a pretty sight. We reevaluated and I successfully lowered him on all the rest. Worked much better.


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Lots of downed timber scattered throughout the canyon.


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We hardly took any pictures of the good stuff:facepalm1:, the first reason being that we kept hearing what sounded like thunder, and we were a little spooked (ended up being jets flying overhead?? I think), and the second was that we really need a waterproof camera. Pulling it out of the dry bag every time got old fast.

This photo was taken after the last rap into the echo chamber. Everyone was having a great time, although Brandon (9) on the left, was starting to shiver a little at that point. The rest of us were chilly but fine.


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Trevor was mad at me because I made him leave his stick behind.


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Trevor getting ready for another swim.


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Trevor watching his mom slide down into the next pool. Fun stuff.


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Trevor is happy again, he found another stick and I let him keep it (sorry Mr. Ranger).


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All smiles!


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Lots of fun downclimbing into cold pools.


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Pools were all nearly full and clean.


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This one's a swimmer.


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Nancy, Brandon, and Trevor opted for the early exit after seeing the final scummy looking pool on the approach and took this from the trail above.


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What looked skanky was really just floating bark and pine needles and Justin and I had a great time finishing the middle portion.


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Trevor's little legs were pretty tired at this point and so Nancy and Brandon left us in the dust, but did stop to snap a few photos and let us catch up. It was at about this point that we could see lightning flashing and real thunder this time and were thankful that we were out of the canyon.


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We didn't take any more pics of the decent as we were trying to beat the black cloud that was forming above us. We made it to the bus stop as it started to sprinkle and just as the bus left the stop it started to rain hard. Nancy snapped these photos from the shuttle bus. I can't really describe the feeling I felt as I realized that surely Echo was flashing as much or more than these. Certainly have a vivid respect for the power of nature.


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As we drove to ZAC to return the wetsuits, we noticed a fire on the hillside. I guess the next shower must have put it out as I haven't heard anymore about it.


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Echo Canyon certainly was an incredibly fun adventure for our entire family. I am grateful for those that offered insight and advise to help make this a success for us. Time to start planning the next canyon...hmmm.

Awwwwweeeeesome!

Looks like the canyon was very full of water.

Tom

:2thumbs:

Nothing beats canyoneering with your kids.

Just missed you, we did middle Echo the next day, Saturday. Great pictures! My wife also got a bit chilled for about ~10 minutes in the dark chamber section. Tough kids!

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Originally Posted by Mountaineer

Just missed you, we did middle Echo the next day, Saturday. Great pictures! My wife also got a bit chilled for about ~10 minutes in the dark chamber section. Tough kids!

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I remember you saying that you had a permit for Saturday and I felt a little relieved knowing that you'd be along the next day to save our bacon if we needed it :haha:.

Just curious @Mountaineer, did the canyon look like it had flashed the day before?

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Originally Posted by ratagonia

Awwwwweeeeesome!

Looks like the canyon was very full of water.

Tom

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Thanks Tom,

Yea, plenty of water, lots of fun swimming. I'd read about the semi-keeper, but I'm not even sure where it was??? :ne_nau: I'm sure we swam over somewhere.

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

:2thumbs:

Nothing beats canyoneering with your kids.

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Thanks Shane,

I totally agree! I missed having them along on the trip down the Upper Black Box.

It is a lot more work though, but they are catching on fast and won't be long until they can help with the chores.

All that work makes the reward at the end that much sweeter and something we will talk about around the dinner table forever. :nod:

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Originally Posted by Sandstone Addiction

It is a lot more work though, but they are catching on fast and won't be long until they can help with the chores.

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The effort pays off a lot faster then you think. My kids don't even let me carry the ropes any more. They also like to do all the rope work and riggings so a lot of the time I just get to sit back and take pictures these days.

:popcorn:

Sounds like I should have started having kids earlier then. I think my rope still weighs more then my kid. Haha